Conditioning of hair is one of the most desired attributes in a personal care composition, particularly conditioners. Unless a conditioning agent is utilized, hair is often difficult to manage during and after shampooing. From an end-user perspective, consumers associate good aesthetics, such as pleasant tactile feel and a pleasing visual appearance, with performance and value. For conditioning compositions, it is also desirable that such compositions provide smoothness, while leaving the hair with a light and natural feel.
To this end, combinations of silicones and cationic polymers have been utilized. For example, PCT International Publication No. WO 2000/37041 discloses keratin conditioning formulations containing a water soluble, organic, ampholytic polymer and a water soluble, organic, cationic polymer. The prior art falls short, however, of delivering optimal conditioning properties while maintaining hair in a clean, non-greasy appearance after shampoo application.
Consequently, there is a continuing need to develop new cost-effective high performance conditioning agents that provide pleasant tactile feel and pleasing visual appearance, while also providing for increased manageability when applied to hair.